Today large parts of the movie industry utilise digital tools, such as digital video cameras and digital sound recorders. Practically all movie editing is done digitally. Regardless of whether digital equipment is being used, the images and the sound is typically recorded on separate independent media. To obtain a video recording consisting of both images and sound, the image recording and the sound recording must be synchronised in time. This may be achieved by means of a traditional clapperboard during the recording of each take. QRSlate (www.qrslate.com) is a system comprising an electronic clapperboard in the form of a tablet (such as iPhone or iPad from Apple, Android-based tablets etc.) running an application that shows a QR code containing information about the present take. It also shows an image containing a continuously counting digital clock showing time in units of hundredths of seconds. The system also comprises a software program running on a computer for storing the image recordings from the image recorder and which connects information about the scene shown in the QR code to the image recordings. This system, however, does not synchronise image and sound and do not allow for integration of a script log written on a separate computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,831,729 shows a system with an electronic clapperboard comprising a tablet running an application which is showing a barcode containing information about the take. It also shows that the electronic clapperboard may receive a time code from a sound recorder. The time code and the barcode that are shown according to the time of shutting the clapperboard are used to synchronise the sound recordings and the image recordings. A software program is described which searches through the image recordings and the sound recordings in order to find the individual pairs of image recordings and sound recordings. Here, the timecode information and machine code displayed, corresponding to the point in time when the clapper is closed, are used to synchronise the auditory and visual elements after digitisation of the same. This method requires the electronic clapperboard and the sound recording device to be connected during recording of the clap, either by cable or by a wireless connection, respectively, limiting the movement of the sound recording person (boomer) and requiring support of the sound recorder.
Alternatively, the image recorder and the sound recorder may run a simultaneous time code that is recorded along with the image and sound onto the respective media. The method requires the camera and the sound recorder are connected to time code generators that are regularly synchronised. Ambient Recording GmbH (http://www.ambient.de/en.html) is a company selling such time code generators. An application for a tablet for the purpose of generating and showing time codes is also shown. Image recorders and film recorders having these features are expensive and are used by professional film production companies only. This requires the time code generator on the camera and the time code generator on the sound recording device to be synchronised regularly via wireless transmitters and receivers, which is power consuming, or via cable, which is time consuming. This system requires that camera, sound recorder and the editing software support time code synchronisation. It does not integrate the script log in the editing software.
MovieSlate (http://www.movie-slate.com) shows a system with an electronic clapperboard similar to the QR slate above. Here it is stated that if sound should be synchronised with the images, a separate unit called “The Timecode_Buddy” must be used. This unit (http://www.movie-slate.com/Timecode_Buddy) must be connected by a wire or via a wireless interface to the clapperboard. MovieSlate is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,167.
The workflow on a film set by using prior art technology is briefly illustrated in FIG. 1. The sound recorder produces sound recordings and the image recorder produces image recordings. During the recording period, a script log, containing notes and information about each take, is written by the script supervisor. These notes are used e.g. to ensure the continuity of the action in the scenes.
The script log can be organised with dedicated software such as Script-e (http://www.scriptesystems.com), but often ordinary text editing tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel or writing by hand are used by the script supervisor.
From this point, the digital image technician takes care of the sound and image recordings. The image recordings are transcoded and files are backed up. These unedited recordings are denoted dailies or rushes and comprise the raw image recordings together with the respective sound recording.
Before the editing period, all the image recordings and the sound recordings must be organised before they are imported into the editing tool. Here, the matching pairs of sound recordings and image recordings from the same take must be found, and the pairs of image recordings and sound recordings must be synchronised. Moreover, information about the takes (title, location, number etc.), the information from the script log etc. must be added into the editing software in order to simplify the editing process. Often, such information is inputted manually. This information is from here on denoted “organising information”. In the film industry today, a person denoted “logger” will use weeks to organise the recordings and corresponding information before the editing process can start for a typical full length movie. During the editing the editor put the most suitable takes together to form a motion picture, a broadcasting series or television program etc.
The object of the invention is to provide a method and system that simplifies and increases the efficiency of the process of organising image recordings and sound recordings before they are ready for the editing process. Hence, the object of the invention is to provide a method and system which reduces the effort of finding the pairs of image recordings and sound recordings of the same takes, and the object is to provide a method and system which reduces the effort of synchronisation of these pairs of image and sound recordings.
In addition, the object is to provide a method and system where information from the script log etc. may be added in a simple way.